{{Short description|American businessman}} {{Infobox person | name = Ralph Braun | image = Ralph Braun.jpg | birth_date = December 18, 1940 | birth_place = Winamac, Indiana | death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|02|8|1940|12|18}} | death_place = Pulaski County, Indiana | spouse = Melody Braun | children = 5 | occupation = Founder and CEO of the Braun Corporation | website = https://www.braunability.com/us/en.html }} '''Ralph William Braun''' (December 18, 1940 – February 8, 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/southbendtribune/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-william-braun&pid=163018741#fbLoggedOut |title=Ralph William Braun Obituary: View Ralph Braun's Obituary by South Bend Tribune |publisher=Legacy.com |date= |accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref>) was the founder and CEO of the Braun Corporation.<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/bios/Ralph_Braun.htm]{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="inc.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/20091201/how-i-did-it-ralph-braun-of-braunability.html |title=How I Did It: Ralph Braun of BraunAbility |publisher=Inc.com |date=2009-12-01 |accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref><ref name="Rise Above">{{cite book |last=Braun |first=Ralph |title=Rise Above |publisher=The Braun Corporation |year=2010 |isbn=0-9843380-0-4}}</ref> He is also known as the "Father of the Mobility Movement" at BraunAbility.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Our Founder|url=https://www.braunability.com/us/en/about-us/ralph-braun.html|access-date=2021-12-03|website=BraunAbility|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life== Braun was born and raised in Winamac, Indiana. When he was six years old, doctors diagnosed him with muscular dystrophy. He started using a wheelchair at the age of 14. At the age of 15, he created a motorized wagon with his father to help him get around. Five years later, Braun created a motorized scooter, which he called the Tri-Wheeler, using various parts from his cousin's farm. Ralph rode the Tri-Wheeler to and from his day job as a Quality Control Manager for a nearby manufacturer. When the facility moved several miles away, he equipped an old mail carrier Jeep with hand controls and a hydraulic tailgate lift, enabling him to drive his Tri-Wheeler in and out of the vehicle unassisted.

In 1970, Dodge introduced the first full-sized, front engine van. Braun retrofitted a Dodge van with a lift and called this new invention the “Lift-A-Way” wheelchair lift. When word spread about this new invention, Braun assembled a team to help fill orders across the nation, all from his parents’ garage. As demand increased, Braun decided to quit his full-time job to focus on his part-time business.

==Career== [[File:1998-2000 Chrysler T&C Limited, BraunAbility Entervan.jpg|thumb|Braun "Entervan" conversion of a 1998-2000 Chrysler Town & Country]] Braun started "Save-A-Step" manufacturing in 1963 to build the first motorized scooter, made from "''a lawnmower differential, four big wheelbarrow tires, two 6-volt automotive batteries, makeshift wiring and switches I got from the hardware store, a kitchen chair, and a motor from a 1957 Pontiac kid's car that I rescued from a mortician's trash bin".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Braun Created the 1st Accessible Vehicle|url=https://www.braunability.com/us/en/about-us/ralph-braun/creating-the-first-wheelchair-accessible-vehicle.html|access-date=2021-12-03|website=BraunAbility|language=en}}</ref>'' In 1966 Braun created the first wheelchair accessible vehicle, by creating a wheelchair platform lift and hand controls that were added to an old Post Office Jeep.<ref name=":0" /> In 1970, Ralph added wheelchair platform lifts to full-sized vans. "Save-A-Step" was incorporated under a new name, The Braun Corporation, in 1972.

In 1991, Braun introduced its first wheelchair accessible minivan, based on the Dodge Caravan and called the Entervan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Search Results|url=https://www.braunability.com/us/en/search-results.html|access-date=2021-12-03|website=BraunAbility|language=en}}</ref> In 1999, Braun acquired Crow River Industries, a specialized manufacturer of wheelchair platform lifts. In 2005, Braun acquired IMS of Farmington, NM, a specialized manufacturer of Toyota Sienna wheelchair accessible minivans. In 2006, the Braun Corporation adopted the brand name, BraunAbility, for its personal-use products. In 2011, the Braun Corporation acquired partial ownership in AutoAdapt, a European mobility company. In 2011, the Braun Corporation also acquired Viewpoint Mobility, a small Michigan-based company that specializes in the wheelchair accessible minivans with rear entry.

In May 2012, Braun was named a "champion of change" by U.S. President Barack Obama.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Ralph braun|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/champions/stem-equality-for-americans-with-disabilities/ralph-braun|access-date=2021-12-03|website=The White House|language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life== {{more citations needed|date=April 2022}} Braun was a father of five adult children. He ran the Braun Corporation from his hometown of Winamac, Indiana with his wife, Melody until his death in 2013.<ref name=":1" />

Braun and his son Todd were owners of the NASCAR racing team, Braun Racing.

Braun was the grandfather of NASCAR Cup Series driver Justin Haley.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/southbendtribune/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-william-braun&pid=163018741#fbLoggedOut |title=Ralph William Braun Obituary: View Ralph Braun's Obituary by South Bend Tribune |publisher=Legacy.com |date= |accessdate=2022-10-07}}</ref>

Braun died in Pulaski County, Indiana, on 8 February, 2013 at the age of 72.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.braunability.com/ralph-braun Ralph Braun Short Biography] *[http://www.braunability.com The Braun Corporation]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Ralph}} Category:1940 births Category:2013 deaths Category:American businesspeople in manufacturing Category:People from Pulaski County, Indiana